Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to water sports such as wakeboarding. More particularly, the invention concerns a wake tower of novel construction for use with powerboats for towing a performer behind the boat using a towrope that is connected to the wake tower.
In recent years the sport of wakeboarding has become very popular. As the name implies, the wake boarder intentionally rides the wake of the boat and prefers to have as large wake as possible generated behind the boat. Experience has shown that to take full advantage of the wake generated by the boat, it is preferable to anchor the towline used to tow the wake boarder at a relatively high elevation above the deck of the boat. Accordingly, a large number of elevated wake towers of various constructions have been suggested in the past.
Typically, the prior art wake towers comprise a rather large and somewhat elaborate framework that is affixed to the boat deck. Such prior art wake towers are heavy and generally quite cumbersome to install and remove from the boat. Further, such towers may interfere with the boat""s passage beneath bridges and other types of overpasses. Additionally, because of the complexity of the framework of several of the prior art wake towers, visibility of the operator of the boat can be impaired. Exemplary of somewhat typical types of prior art wake towers are those illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,350 issued to Larson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,819 issued to Larson et al.
To accommodate the overhead clearance problem exhibited by certain of the prior art wake towers, some prior art wake tower structures can be dismantled if necessary. However, such prior art structures often have questionable structural stability when erected and can present substantial safety hazards after being disassembled. For example, after the wake tower structures have been disassembled they can present a substantial tripping hazard to passengers on the boat especially when the boat is being rocked by waves. Further, in their dismantled configuration, the wake tower structures typically undesirably reduce the usable space on the boat deck.
Another approach to accommodating overhead clearance problems has been to construct a wake tower assembly that is pivotally interconnected with the gunwales of the boat so that the wake tower can be moved from an elevated position to a lowered position. Exemplary of this prior art approach, it is a wake tower assembly sold by the Titan Company of Rancho Cordova, Calif.
By way of summary, one form of the wake tower assembly of the present invention comprises a first base member that can be connected to the gunwale on one side of a power boat; a second base member that can be connected to the gunwale on the opposite side to of a power boat; a generally U-shaped, structural member having a first curved side connected to the first base member and a second curved side connected to the second base member, each of the sides having an upper portion and a lower portion each of which is generally oval in cross-section, the lower portion of each of the sides having a first width and the upper portion of each of the sides having a second width less than the first width; and a bight portion interconnecting the upper portions of the sides, the bight portion being either generally circular or generally oval in cross-section. In one form of the invention, the U-shaped structural member can be pivoted downwardly toward the bow of the powerboat and in another form of the invention the U-shaped structural member can be pivoted downwardly toward the stern of the boat.
With the foregoing summary in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a highly attractive wake tower assembly of a unique, generally U-shaped configuration that can be readily mounted on powerboats of various constructions.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wake tower assembly of the aforementioned character that is of a high-strength, simple construction that does not interfere with the visibility of the boat operator.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wake tower assembly of the character described that can be easily attached and detached from the powerboat.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wake tower assembly as described in the preceding paragraphs, which can be pivoted from a first upright position to a second lowered position.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wake tower assembly of the class described in which the U-shaped portion of the tower is fabricated from light weight metal tubing that is first swaged into a unique configuration and then is strategically formed to create high strength, gracefully curved side portions having a tapered, oval shape and a bight portion that is generally circular in cross-section.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wake tower assembly of the of the character described in which the U-shaped portion of the tower is cast by conventional metal casting techniques into a unique configuration having gracefully curved side portions that are generally oval shape in cross-section.